Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Xio looked up to see blood-red moonlight casting a cold, eerie atmosphere over the environment. Countless shadowy wraiths seemed to gaze at the real world through a thin veil.

Faintly, Xio thought she could hear crying, muttering, and whispering voices.

Aware of the peculiarities that came with the "Blood Moon," she remained calm and walked into a public washroom by the street to splash her face with cold water.

However, the crying, muttering, and whispering did not cease.

Wiping her face with her sleeve, Xio listened for a few seconds, her brows furrowing. Then, she drew the transparent dagger from the holster at her waist—an ethereal weapon seemingly formed by connecting a dozen or so shining stars.

This was the extraordinary weapon lent to her by Princess Vera before being pulled into the Daniel Labyrinth and the very culprit behind her current disorientation.

Xio suspected that lingering spiritual residue within the weapon had temporarily surged under the influence of the Blood Moon.

As she wielded the dagger, emotions of melancholy, sorrow, and pain gripped her heart, almost tangibly suffocating her.

In a daze, Xio saw a vision—a pair of siblings who had relied on each other since childhood but gradually turned against one another due to family disputes. The sister upheld the family's original path, while the brother followed an elder down a different route.

Ultimately, their ideological differences led to a bitter division. In a fierce conflict, the sister invoked thirteen "Decrees" to kill her beloved brother and, consumed by grief, ended her own life.

"Tamara…" Xio murmured the name, an overwhelming sadness filling her chest. She involuntarily raised the dagger and aimed it at her heart.

Suddenly, the blood-stained coin in her pocket emitted a faint glow. At the same time, the faucet in the washroom exploded, and a jet of cold water struck her face with tremendous force. The chilling sensation instantly brought her back to her senses.

"That was close!" Xio ignored her soaked and disheveled state and hurriedly sheathed the dagger back in its spiritually-isolating holster, finally letting out a breath of relief.

"Was that the dagger's 'suicide' side effect? How terrifying... it felt like my willpower was completely ineffective. If it hadn't been for the faucet suddenly breaking, I might have really succeeded in killing myself...

"But The Fool told me that the side effect only activates after using one of the dagger's 'Decrees'... I didn't even actually use it when sparring with Ebner; we were just acting...

"Could it be that the heightened spirituality under the Blood Moon triggered it?

"Hmm, not impossible. There are cases in the archives of the MI9 about sealed artifacts losing containment during a Blood Moon night..."

As her thoughts raced, Xio pondered the vision of the siblings and their family's name.

"Tamara...

"I remember a high-sequence powerhouse from the Tamara family once saved me in East Chester County. And that psychic dragon used me to deliver something to her… though I never found out what it was.

"Ebner mentioned that the Tamara family was an angelic family in the Fourth Epoch but later splintered, with some members joining the Theosophy Order...

"Maybe the vision I saw was a reflection of that family schism. The dagger must have been crafted from the extraordinary characteristics of those siblings. No wonder invoking a 'Decree' results in a 'suicide' backlash.

"Come to think of it, I seem to have a strange fate with the Tamara family..."

Deciding to return to Fragrance Manor and discuss this with Ebner, Xio was quickly faced with another problem—she got lost again!

Helpless, Xio found a secluded spot, clasped her hands together, and prayed to The Fool:

"Fool who does not belong to this era…

"Please inform Mr. Tower to come and pick me up as soon as possible..."

...

Above the gray fog in the ancient palace, Fors felt like a fish returned to water, letting out a deep breath. Realizing her impropriety, she quickly stood up and said:

"Honorable Mr. Fool, you saved me again."

"That's not something you need to dwell on," Klein responded in a light, tranquil tone.

Fors silently noted her gratitude, then resumed her seat.

She pondered what had just happened, remaining quiet for a while. Klein, maintaining his image, did not initiate any conversation either.

In the towering, majestic palace reminiscent of a giant's dwelling, silence quickly became the dominant note.

Snapping back to her senses, Fors suddenly found the atmosphere stifling and uncomfortable. After some thought, she decided to break the silence.

"Mr. Fool, why would a Blood Moon appear during the daytime?"

How would I know? Klein grumbled inwardly. However, based on Feast of Blood and The Book of Secrets from Miss Sharron, he had a faint guess. With a profound and inscrutable tone, he said:

"Perhaps the Primordial Moon is throwing a tantrum."

The Primordial Moon? Fors was slightly startled. I remember some scholars theorized that blood moons were due to the Evernight Goddess being upset...

Having read portions of Feast of Blood that Ebner had copied for Xio, Fors understood what the Primordial Moon symbolized. She wasn't surprised, merely nodding thoughtfully. Then a sudden connection struck her: Didn't Mr. Fool's honorific appear in that vampire duke's tome as well? Xio accidentally recited it aloud too...

So does the Blood Clan have followers of Mr. Fool as well?

As this thought crossed her mind, she noticed that Mr. Fool seemed to be in a good mood. Summoning her courage, she tentatively asked about it—not out of any desire to probe but purely out of curiosity.

Of course, she was cautious not to be too direct, starting by mentioning Feast of Blood.

Klein immediately understood her little scheme and found it amusing. What am I supposed to say? That it was actually "Tower" who orchestrated that scheme just to pull "Judgment" into the Tarot Club?

Initially, he planned to use vague answers to brush it off. But then he remembered that Miss Magician had recently connected with the Abraham family—a lineage dating back to the Fourth Epoch. They might hold records related to "Rhine Kalendia," also known as Liu Bo...

After some consideration, Klein chose not to answer directly but said mildly:

"Feast of Blood was authored by Rhine Kalendia. If you're interested in learning more about him, seek records from ancient families. You might gain something."

If you do find something, let "The World" negotiate an exchange with you.

Fors nodded thoughtfully.

Just then, Klein received a request for help from Miss Judgment. After hearing her plea, he couldn't help but feel speechless, internally mocking himself:

Should I start a car-hailing service? The Fool Navigation at your service...

...

Time flew by. Two days had passed since the Blood Moon event, and it was now Monday afternoon.

Upon receiving The Fool's notice that day, Ebner had promptly brought Xio back to Fragrance Manor, arranging a guest room for her stay.

During this time, Xio naturally informed him about the peculiar dagger. Ebner, however, didn't think much of it.

After all, when Xio recited The Fool's honorific, he had already confirmed that she bore no traces from ancient dragons or angels of the Tamara family. The fact she had this dagger was likely just a coincidence.

Moreover, the dagger technically belonged to the Augustus princess, who had lent it to Xio. Considering that the Augustus family had once served under the Night Emperor in the Fourth Epoch, it wasn't surprising for them to possess an artifact from the Tamara family, who had once pledged loyalty to the Blood Emperor.

Xio agreed that she might have been overthinking things. However, having encountered so many bizarre events since meeting Ebner, she was hesitant to jump to conclusions too quickly.

"Luckily, with Mr. Fool's protection, there's no need to worry too much," Xio sighed, then focused intently on perfecting her disguise. Standing before the mirror, she reinforced her perception of her new appearance, making Ebner click his tongue in amazement.

This time, Xio had adopted a new style—somewhat resembling Edwina's "pirate chic."

...

In Backlund, at precisely three in the afternoon...

Deep red beams of light shimmered along the mottled long table, solidifying into blurred, varied silhouettes.

Audrey was in an even better mood than usual. Her brother, Alfred Hall, had written to her about information concerning the half-god dragon skeleton. Although unconfirmed, it was enough to provide Mr. Tower with some response.

After all, the feeling of owing someone was never pleasant.

Moreover, she had successfully joined the Psychology Alchemists and needed to report this to Mr. Fool as soon as possible.

Audrey's lips curved in a graceful smile as she stood up and habitually led the group in greeting the figure shrouded in gray fog at the head of the bronze table.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"

Afterward, she glanced around, intending to greet the others individually. However, she noticed a new member seated beside Fors:

A reserved woman with minimal physical gestures and a nearly stagnant thought process—so much so that she didn't even seem alive...

This newcomer gives me a feeling very similar to Mr. World.

Could they be Beyonders from the same pathway, particularly resistant to Spectator abilities?